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{{Short description|Maltese architect and military engineer}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Girolamo Cassa |
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| native_name = Ġlormu Cassar |
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| native_name_lang = mt |
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| birth_date = {{circa}} 1520 |
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| birth_place = [[Gudja]], [[Malta (island)|Malta]], [[Kingdom of Sicily]] |
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| caption = |
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| death_date = {{circa}} 1592 |
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| death_place = [[Valletta]], [[History of Malta under the Order of Saint John|Hospitaller Malta]] |
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| native_name_lang = mt |
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| resting_place = [[Basilica of St Dominic, Valletta|Church of Porto Salvo]], Valletta |
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| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name above --> |
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| nationality = Maltese |
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| occupation = [[Architect]] and [[military engineer]] |
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| employer = [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of St. John]] |
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| baptised = <!-- will not display if birth_date is entered --> |
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| notable_works = Various buildings in [[Valletta]], including [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]], the [[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]] and the [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)#Auberges in Malta|auberges]] |
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| death_date = between 1589 and 1592 (aged c.69-72) |
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| style = [[Mannerism (architecture)|Mannerist]] |
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| spouse = Mattea Cassar |
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| children = [[Vittorio Cassar]]<br>Gabriele Cassar<br>Marietitina Cassar<br>Battistina Cassar<br>Caterinella Cassar<br>Gio Domenico (extra matrimonial) |
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| resting_place = |
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| residence = |
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| nationality = [[Maltese people|Maltese]] |
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| ethnicity = <!-- Ethnicity should be supported with a citation from a reliable source --> |
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| citizenship = |
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| education = |
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| occupation = [[Architect]] |
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| employer = |
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| organization = |
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| agent = |
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| known_for = Various buildings in [[Valletta]], including [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]], the [[Grandmaster's Palace]] and the [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)#Valletta|Auberges]] |
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| notable_works = |
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| religion = [[Roman Catholicism]] |
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| spouse = Mattea Cassar |
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| children = [[Vittorio Cassar]]<br>1 other son<br>3 daughters |
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| parents = |
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| relatives = |
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| awards = |
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| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes |
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| allegiance = {{Flagicon|SMOM}} [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] |
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| branch = |
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| battles = [[Battle of Djerba]] (1560)<br>[[Great Siege of Malta]] (1565) |
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| serviceyears = |
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| rank = |
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}} |
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}} |
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'''Girolamo Cassar''' ({{lang-mt|Ġlormu Cassar}}, {{circa}} 1520 – {{circa}} 1592) was a [[Maltese people|Maltese]] architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of St. John]], and was admitted into the Order in 1567. He was involved in the construction of [[Valletta]], initially as an assistant to [[Francesco Laparelli]], before taking over the project himself. He designed many public, religious and private buildings in the new capital city, including [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]], the [[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]] and the [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)#Auberges in Malta|auberges]]. He was the father of [[Vittorio Cassar]], another architect and engineer. |
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[[File:Auberge d'Aragon.jpg|thumb|[[Auberge d'Aragon]], the only Auberge with Cassar's original design]] |
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[[File:St Johns Co-Cathedral.jpg|thumb|Saint John's Co-Cathedral, one of the few buildings in Valletta still retaining Cassar's original design]] |
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[[File:Building Malta.jpg|thumb|[[Verdala Palace]]]] |
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==Biography== |
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'''Girolamo Cassar''', also known as '''Ġlormu Cassar''', was a Maltese architect and military engineer who designed many buildings in the capital [[Valletta]]. |
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Cassar's date of birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born in around 1520 in either [[Birgu]] or [[Gudja]]. The Cassar family, probably originating from Sicily, had been established in Malta since at least the year 1440.<ref name="melitensiawth">{{cite journal|last1=Mangion|first1=Giovanni|title=Girolamo Cassar Architetto maltese del cinquecento|journal=Melita Historica|date=1973|volume=6|issue=2|pages=192–200|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.06(1972-75)/MH.6(1972)2/orig07.pdf|publisher=Malta Historical Society|language=Italian|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416133159/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.06%281972-75%29/MH.6%281972%292/orig07.pdf|archivedate=16 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had two brothers, named Andreas and Ians, and married his wife Mathia in the early 1560s after which they had five children -two boys, [[Vittorio Cassar|Vittorio]] and Gabriele; and three girls, Marietta, Battistina and Caterinella. Cassar had another child, Gio Domenico, from an extra-matrimonial relationship which he made sure to inherit none of his will and testament, ironically justifying himself by writing that his son was disobedient.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.14(2004-07)/MH.14(2007)4/02.pdf |title=De uxore proxima futura magistri Hieroniymi Cassar : new light on Girolamo Cassar's immediate family / J. Abela. Melita Historica. 14(2007)4(375-386) |access-date=2017-07-01 |archive-date=2020-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517160853/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.14%282004-07%29/MH.14%282007%294/02.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cassar was initially a ''capomastro'' (master builder), and he was a pupil of [[Evangelista Menga]], the resident engineer of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of St. John]]. He worked as a military engineer during the [[Battle of Djerba]] in 1560 and the [[Great Siege of Malta]] in 1565. During the latter siege, he worked on repairing fortifications damaged by the Ottoman assaults, sometimes at great personal risk.<ref name="dictionary">{{cite book|last1=Schiavone|first1=Michael J.|title=Dictionary of Maltese Biographies Vol. 1 A–F|date=2009|publisher=Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza|location=[[Pietà, Malta|Pietà]]|isbn=9789993291329|pages=520–521}}</ref> |
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==Life== |
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Cassar was born around 1520 in [[Gudja]] or [[Birgu]] to a Sicilian family who had lived in the Maltese islands since around 1440. He fought in the [[Battle of Djerba]] of 1560. Five years later, he was a military engineer during the [[Great Siege of Malta]] in 1565 when he helped repair some of the fortifications of Birgu and Senglea. |
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In 1566, the Order decided to construct a new capital city [[Valletta]], and Cassar became the assistant of [[Francesco Laparelli]], the Italian military engineer who had been sent to design the [[fortifications of Valletta|city's fortifications]] and [[grid plan]]. On 22 April 1569, Cassar was received within the Order in recognition of his merits as an architect and engineer. At this point, the Grand Master issued him a passport and Cassar spent the rest of the year touring Italian cities,<ref name="dictionary"/> including [[Naples]], [[Rome]] and [[Lucca]]. He became familiar with the [[Mannerism (architecture)|Mannerist style]] during this tour, and he employed this style in many of his later buildings.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ellul|first1=Michael|title=In search of Girolamo Cassar: An unpublished manuscript at the State Archives of Lucca|journal=Melita Historica|date=2004|volume=XIV|issue=1|page=37|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.14(2004-07)/MH.14(2004)1/02.pdf|issn=1021-6952|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313191703/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.14%282004-07%29/MH.14%282004%291/02.pdf|archivedate=13 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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Cassar became assistant to [[Francesco Laparelli]] in the building of [[Valletta]] and helped him design some of the fortifications. He took over following Laparelli's departure from Malta in 1569 (and his death a year later). Since Cassar had only designed military architecture before, he briefly went to study in Italy where he learnt about [[Renaissance architecture#Mannerism|mannerist architecture]]. He returned to Malta within a year and he began to design various buildings, both in Valletta and elsewhere on the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Maltese Architect Gerolamo Cassar|url=http://www.angelfire.com/ma/maltarchitecture/cassar.html|website=Malta Architecture|publisher=Angelfire|accessdate=27 February 2014}}</ref> |
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[[File:Auberge d'Aragon.jpg|thumb|[[Auberge d'Aragon]], the only auberge which still retains Cassar's original design, with the only addition being a 19th-century [[portico]]]] |
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Most of these were later renovated or destroyed. In some cases such as [[Auberge de Castille]], the new Auberge was completely rebuilt and the building was completely different from the original design. However a few buildings such as [[Auberge d'Aragon]] and the exterior of [[St. John's Co-Cathedral|Saint John's Co-Cathedral]] retain Cassar's original design. |
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Upon his return to Malta in around late 1569, work on the Valletta fortifications was almost completed, and he took over the project after Laparelli left the island. He also became the Order's resident architect and engineer. He designed many public, religious and private buildings within the city, including the [[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]], the seven original [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)#Auberges in Malta|auberges]] and the Conventual Church of St. John (now known as [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]]). Cassar also designed a few buildings outside the capital city, most notably the [[Verdala Palace]] in [[Buskett]].<ref name="dictionary"/> The original design of the [[Mediterranean Conference Centre|Sacra Infermeria]] is also attributed to him.<ref>{{cite book|last=Garofalo|first=Emanuela|date=2016|title=Crociere e Lunette in Sicilia e in Italia Meridionale nel XVI Secolo|url=http://www.cosmedweb.org/pdf_pubbl/crociere.pdf|publisher=Edizioni Caracol|language=Italian|page=31|location=Palermo|isbn=978-88-98546-59-6|doi= 10.17401/CROCIERE-LUNETTE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616080437/http://www.cosmedweb.org/pdf_pubbl/crociere.pdf|archive-date=16 June 2017}}</ref> |
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He also designed various churches, the bakery, the mills and some private palaces and houses in Valletta, some churches in Rabat and [[Verdala Palace]]. Other buildings such as the [[Mediterranean Conference Centre|Sacra Infermeria]] were probably also designed by Cassar although no actual documents or plans survive about these. |
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The date and circumstances of Cassar's death are not recorded. He made his second will on 9 January 1589. He is believed to have died in around 1592 in Valletta. He was buried in the [[Basilica of St Dominic, Valletta|Church of Porto Salvo]] in the same city.<ref name="dictionary"/> |
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Girolamo Cassar lived with his wife Mattea and his two sons at Strada Pia (now Melita Street), Valletta. One of his sons, [[Vittorio Cassar]], later became an architect as well. Cassar died sometime after January 1589, when he made his second will.<ref name=dictionary>{{cite book|last1=Schiavone|first1=Michael J.|title=Dictionary of Maltese Biographies Vol. 1 A-F|date=2009|publisher=Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza|location=[[Pietà, Malta|Pietà]]|isbn=9789993291329|pages=520-521}}</ref> |
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==Buildings attributed to Cassar== |
==Buildings attributed to Cassar== |
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The following buildings are thought to have been designed by Cassar (in some cases this is just an attribution).<ref name=dictionary/> |
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[[File:St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta 001.jpg|thumb|[[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]]]] |
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===Valletta=== |
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[[File:Building Malta.jpg|thumb|[[Verdala Palace]]]] |
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*[[Our Lady of Victories Church, Valletta|Our Lady of Victories Church]] (1567) |
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[[File:Saqqajja, Mdina 09.jpg|thumb|[[St Mark's Church, Rabat|Church of St. Mark]] in [[Rabat, Malta|Rabat]]]] |
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*[[Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Valletta|Church of the Assumption]] (c.1570) |
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*House of Fra Eustachio del Monte (c.1570) |
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The following is a list of buildings which are known to have been designed by Girolamo Cassar or are attributed to him:<ref name="dictionary"/> |
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*[[Auberge d'Aragon]] (1570s) |
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*First [[Auberge de France]] (1570) |
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;Valletta |
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*First Auberge d'Italie (1570) |
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*[[Fortifications of Valletta]] (1566 onwards; with Francesco Laparelli) |
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*[[St Augustine Church (Malta)|St Augustine Church]] (1571) |
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*[[ |
*[[Our LadyofVictories Church, Valletta|Church of Our Lady of Victory]] (1566–67) |
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*House of Fra Eustachio del Monte (1569) |
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*[[Franciscan Church of St Mary of Jesus|St Mary of Jesus Church]] (1571) |
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*[[Auberge de |
*First [[Auberge de France]] ({{circa}} 1570) |
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*[[Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Valletta|Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel]] ({{circa}} 1570) |
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*[[Grandmaster's Palace]] (1571-1574) |
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* |
*First Auberge d'Italie (1570–71) |
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*[[Auberge d' |
*[[Auberge d'Aragon]] (1571) |
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*[[ |
*[[Auberge d'Allemagne]] (1571–75) |
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*[[Auberge |
*[[Auberge d'Auvergne]] ({{circa}} 1571–83) |
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*[[Auberge de Provence]] (1571–75) |
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*[[Mediterranean Conference Centre|Sacra Infermeria]] (1574) |
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*[[Basilica of St Dominic, Valletta|Church of St. Dominic]] (1571) |
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*Second [[Auberge d'Italie]] (1574-1579) |
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*[[St Augustine Church (Malta)|Church of St. Augustine]] (1571–96) |
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*Ta' Ġieżu Convent (1575) |
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*[[Church of St |
*[[Franciscan Church of St MaryofJesus|Church of St. MaryofJesus]] and adjoining convent (1571–75) |
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*[[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]] (1572–77) |
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*St Catherine Monastery (1576) |
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*[[Auberge de Castille]] (1573–74) |
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*Convent of Carmelite friars (1576) |
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*Second [[Auberge d'Italie]] (1574–79) |
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*[[Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck|St Paul's Shipwreck church]] (1577) |
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*[[Grandmaster's Palace (Valletta)|Grandmaster's Palace]] (1574) |
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*Second [[Auberge de France]] (1588) |
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*[[Sacra Infermeria]] (1574) |
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*Del Soccorso Chapel in [[Fort Saint Elmo]] |
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*[[Church of St Catherine of Italy, Valletta|Church of St. Catherine of Italy]] (1576) |
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*Monastery of St. Catherine (1576) |
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*Carmelite convent (1576) |
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*[[Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck|Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck]] (1577–82) |
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*[[Forni della Signoria]] ({{circa}} 1584) |
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*Second [[Auberge de France]] ({{circa}} 1588) |
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*[[Chapel of St Anne, Fort St Elmo|Del Soccorso Chapel]] in [[Fort Saint Elmo]] |
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*Windmills |
*Windmills |
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*various other palaces and fortifications |
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;Elsewhere in Malta |
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* |
*Reconstruction of [[Birgu]] and [[Senglea]] (1560s) |
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*[[St Mark's Church, Rabat|Church of St. Mark]], [[Rabat, Malta|Rabat]] (1571–88) |
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*[[Verdala Palace]], [[Siġġiewi]] (1586) |
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* |
*[[Verdala Palace]] (1586) |
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*Old convent of St Augustine, |
*Old convent of St. Augustine, Rabat (1588) |
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*Old convent of St Francis, Rabat (1588) |
*Old convent of St. Francis, Rabat (1588) |
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*Capuchin convent, [[Floriana]] (1586) |
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*St Mark Church, Rabat |
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==Personal life== |
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[[File:Statue of Francesco Laparelli and Girolamo Cassar.jpg|thumb|[[Monument to Francesco Laparelli and Girolamo Cassar]], Valletta]] |
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Girolamo Cassar was married to Mattea Cassar, and they had five children:<ref name="melitensiawth"/> |
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*[[Vittorio Cassar]], probably their firstborn son, the favourite and principal heir. He also became an architect, and succeeded his father as the Order's resident engineer. |
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*Gabriele Cassar, who was also in the Order's service |
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*Marietitina Cassar, who married Natale Ricza |
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*Battistina Cassar, who married Antonio Habela |
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*Caterinella Cassar, who married Ambrogio Pace |
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The Cassar family was sufficiently wealthy, and they had at least two slaves. They lived in a house located between present-day St. Ursula and Melita Streets in Valletta.<ref name="melitensiawth"/> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq Girolamo Cassar (St. James Bastion) 01 ies.jpg|thumb|Triq Girolamo Cassar, Valletta]] |
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[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq Girolamo Cassar (St. James Bastion) 01 ies.jpg|thumb|Girolamo Cassar Avenue]] |
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The road leading from Floriana to Castille Square in Valletta is named ''Triq Girolamo Cassar'' after the architect. He [[List of people on stamps of Malta|was featured on Maltese stamps]] twice, in 1966 and 1974. |
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{{see also|Monument to Francesco Laparelli and Girolamo Cassar}} |
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Many of Cassar's buildings were altered or demolished between the 17th and the 20th centuries, and very few buildings still retain his original design. The only auberge in Valletta retaining Cassar's façade is [[Auberge d'Aragon]], with the only alteration being a portico which was added to the main doorway in the 19th century. Other buildings which retain Cassar's exterior design include [[Saint John's Co-Cathedral]] in Valletta and the [[St Mark's Church, Rabat|Church of St. Mark]] in Rabat, although their interiors were altered over time.<ref>{{cite news|title=Façade of church dedicated to St Mark in Rabat to be restored|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-06-30/local-news/Facade-of-church-dedicated-to-St-Mark-in-Rabat-to-be-restored-6736160244|work=[[The Malta Independent]]|date=30 June 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701131243/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-06-30/local-news/Facade-of-church-dedicated-to-St-Mark-in-Rabat-to-be-restored-6736160244|archivedate=1 July 2016}}</ref> |
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After Malta's independence in 1964, the road leading from [[Floriana]] to Castille Square in Valletta was renamed from Duke of York Avenue to Girolamo Cassar Avenue ({{lang-mt|Triq Girolamo Cassar}}) after the architect.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chetcuti|first1=Kristina|title=Where the streets have four names|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150601/local/where-the-streets-have-four-names.570511|work=[[Times of Malta]]|date=1 June 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719173335/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150601/local/where-the-streets-have-four-names.570511|archivedate=19 July 2016}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{ |
{{Commons category|Ġlormu Cassar}} |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| NAME = Cassar, Girolamo |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Cassar, Ġlormu |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Architect who designed many buildings in Valletta |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = c.1520 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Birgu]] or [[Gudja]], [[Malta]] |
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| DATE OF DEATH = between 1589 and 1592 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = probably [[Valletta]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassar, Girolamo}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cassar, Girolamo}} |
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[[Category:People from Gudja]] |
[[Category:People from Gudja]] |
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[[Category:Maltese Roman Catholics]] |
[[Category:Maltese Roman Catholics]] |
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[[Category:Maltese architects]] |
[[Category:16th-century Maltese architects]] |
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[[Category:Maltese military |
[[Category:Maltese military engineers]] |
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[[Category:Maltese people of Sicilian descent]] |
[[Category:Maltese people of Sicilian descent]] |
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[[Category:Renaissance architects]] |
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[[Category:Knights of Malta]] |
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[[Category:Maltese slave owners]] |
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[[Category:Architects of cathedrals]] |
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[[Category:Architects of Roman Catholic churches]] |
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Girolamo Cassa
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|---|---|
Ġlormu Cassar
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| Born | c. 1520 |
| Died | c. 1592 |
| Resting place | Church of Porto Salvo, Valletta |
| Nationality | Maltese |
| Occupation(s) | Architect and military engineer |
| Employer | Order of St. John |
| Notable work | Various buildings in Valletta, including Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the Grandmaster's Palace and the auberges |
| Style | Mannerist |
| Spouse | Mattea Cassar |
| Children | Vittorio Cassar Gabriele Cassar Marietitina Cassar Battistina Cassar Caterinella Cassar Gio Domenico (extra matrimonial) |
Girolamo Cassar (Maltese: Ġlormu Cassar, c. 1520 – c. 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1567. He was involved in the construction of Valletta, initially as an assistant to Francesco Laparelli, before taking over the project himself. He designed many public, religious and private buildings in the new capital city, including Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the Grandmaster's Palace and the auberges. He was the father of Vittorio Cassar, another architect and engineer.
Cassar's date of birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born in around 1520 in either BirguorGudja. The Cassar family, probably originating from Sicily, had been established in Malta since at least the year 1440.[1] He had two brothers, named Andreas and Ians, and married his wife Mathia in the early 1560s after which they had five children -two boys, Vittorio and Gabriele; and three girls, Marietta, Battistina and Caterinella. Cassar had another child, Gio Domenico, from an extra-matrimonial relationship which he made sure to inherit none of his will and testament, ironically justifying himself by writing that his son was disobedient.[2] Cassar was initially a capomastro (master builder), and he was a pupil of Evangelista Menga, the resident engineer of the Order of St. John. He worked as a military engineer during the Battle of Djerba in 1560 and the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. During the latter siege, he worked on repairing fortifications damaged by the Ottoman assaults, sometimes at great personal risk.[3]
In 1566, the Order decided to construct a new capital city Valletta, and Cassar became the assistant of Francesco Laparelli, the Italian military engineer who had been sent to design the city's fortifications and grid plan. On 22 April 1569, Cassar was received within the Order in recognition of his merits as an architect and engineer. At this point, the Grand Master issued him a passport and Cassar spent the rest of the year touring Italian cities,[3] including Naples, Rome and Lucca. He became familiar with the Mannerist style during this tour, and he employed this style in many of his later buildings.[4]
Upon his return to Malta in around late 1569, work on the Valletta fortifications was almost completed, and he took over the project after Laparelli left the island. He also became the Order's resident architect and engineer. He designed many public, religious and private buildings within the city, including the Grandmaster's Palace, the seven original auberges and the Conventual Church of St. John (now known as Saint John's Co-Cathedral). Cassar also designed a few buildings outside the capital city, most notably the Verdala PalaceinBuskett.[3] The original design of the Sacra Infermeria is also attributed to him.[5]
The date and circumstances of Cassar's death are not recorded. He made his second will on 9 January 1589. He is believed to have died in around 1592 in Valletta. He was buried in the Church of Porto Salvo in the same city.[3]
The following is a list of buildings which are known to have been designed by Girolamo Cassar or are attributed to him:[3]
Girolamo Cassar was married to Mattea Cassar, and they had five children:[1]
The Cassar family was sufficiently wealthy, and they had at least two slaves. They lived in a house located between present-day St. Ursula and Melita Streets in Valletta.[1]
Many of Cassar's buildings were altered or demolished between the 17th and the 20th centuries, and very few buildings still retain his original design. The only auberge in Valletta retaining Cassar's façade is Auberge d'Aragon, with the only alteration being a portico which was added to the main doorway in the 19th century. Other buildings which retain Cassar's exterior design include Saint John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta and the Church of St. Mark in Rabat, although their interiors were altered over time.[6]
After Malta's independence in 1964, the road leading from Floriana to Castille Square in Valletta was renamed from Duke of York Avenue to Girolamo Cassar Avenue (Maltese: Triq Girolamo Cassar) after the architect.[7]
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